It’s been more than a decade since Solutionsgc has been sincerely serving the construction industry in San Francisco. The construction industry has three major categories: residential construction, industrial construction, and commercial construction. Many of us think of industrial and commercial buildings as one of the same things, right? Oops! Wrong. We have experienced significant differences between the two, which might not be obvious to someone outside the industry. 

Industrial vs. Commercial

Simply put, industrial constructions aim to harmonize the manufacturing and distribution of products to commercial establishments and mainly cover the outskirts of a town away from residential areas. Common examples of industrial buildings include factories, power plants, refineries, solar wind farms, large production houses, and Assembly units.

Whereas commercial constructions focus on service-oriented businesses that aim to provide service to the public. These buildings have an aesthetic design to attract people and are located at locations with good connectivity and footfall. Some examples of commercial buildings are retail stores, malls, supermarkets, restaurants, hotels, hospitals, gyms, and other fitness facilities.

Industrial and commercial buildings have many more notable differences, and the process of building too varies widely between the two. Both have their own set of specific objectives and challenges. 

The intended use of the construction determines the following crucial factors :

1. Location of the construction
2. Exterior Infrastructure
3. Interior Infrastructure
4. Internal Infrastructure Finishes
5. The Scale Of Construction
6. Construction Project Management
7. Permits And Building Licenses

Let’s jump right in and understand what marks the line between industrial and commercial construction.

Location Of The Construction

The main difference between industrial and commercial construction is the construction location and planned structure.

Here’s why: for industrial construction, the primary purpose of these buildings is to produce and dispatch products to commercial establishments to sell them. These facilities are built in locations with easy logistics access. Hence, the industrial constructions are built near large seaports, airports, railheads, or other places where they can easily transport bulk materials from and to the industrial building.

As industrial activities take place on large machinery throughout the day, it is usual for the industrial constructions to lie away from the residential and thickly populated areas.

Whereas commercial construction focuses on serving people, it surfaces at a place easily accessible by all. Hence, the commercial buildings are usually built inside the city areas, centrally located for easy access.

Another characteristic feature of commercial construction is that they must be located and designed for maximum foot traffic. So, the commercial buildings are constructed where many people can access the building on foot and lie close to the market they want to serve.

To gather, the key difference between commercial and industrial construction for choosing the location is:- the access to many people for commercial constructions. In contrast, it is easy logistics to move large amounts of materials and machinery for industrial constructions.

Exterior Infrastructure

By now, you know that as commercial and industrial constructions serve different purposes, they must have different facilities attached to them for their optimum utility.

Since industrial constructions mainly focus on production and transportation, they have space for accommodating the heavy machinery and the technical components necessary for manufacturing the products. They also have enough space to allow bigger trucks to move in with raw materials and go out with finished goods without any difficulty.

Due to the necessity for large plots of lands required for industrial construction, they are situated at places away from crowded areas, with all the external infrastructures necessary for the smooth flow of the manufacturing process and transport of goods.

On the other hand, commercial construction has to be accessed by many people. It should have enough space for the movement of those who come onto the building, complete their work and go out of it without any problem.

For this, these constructions must have all the facilities like providing enough parking space, arrangements for the orderly flow of traffic, structures for helping people reach their destination, easy access to roads, and transportation services.

Interior Infrastructure

The type of work to be conducted in the buildings determines the type of construction. It is also one of the main differentiating factors for industrial and commercial buildings.

An industrial building is used for the installation and operation of heavy machinery. These are built taller, larger, and stronger to accommodate heavy equipment and machinery required for manufacturing goods. They have more oversized doors, wide corridors, high ceilings, and large shelves.

But, the commercial construction attracts more people to it, and they accommodate lots and lots of foot traffic. They allow many people to go into and out of the building simultaneously without much hassle.

Commercial businesses rely on returning customers, and they strive to give them the best experience while they are inside the building by building infrastructures where such customers can quickly get where they want to.

Such vital points are the building blocks of designing the interior of a commercial building. These are the reasons why the interior of these buildings depends on the type of services they provide. 

Internal Infrastructure Finishes

The types of electrical, plumbing, and mechanical systems inside the building also differentiate the type of construction.

In industrial construction, the electrical, plumbing, and HVAC systems are more robust with higher capacities. They are more oriented towards the machinery used in the production process than offering comfort to the persons working in these buildings.

But, in a commercial building, central electrical, plumbing, and HVAC systems are installed to handle the supply and distribution of water, air, and electricity throughout the building. It is necessary for the convenience and comfort to those who use the facility.

As people will be the ones for whom these are provided, these systems are centrally controlled and are of lower capacity to cater to the needs of the people who use the buildings.

The Scale Of Construction

The scale of construction also varies widely with industrial and commercial buildings.

In industrial construction, vast areas are developed for logistics, and related requirements, hence built-in regions are not easily accessible to the people. That is why these industrial constructions are developed in a way that they are ideal for people to live around it while still making it efficient in manufacturing, logistics, and production of goods.

Commercial construction, however, can be a skyscraper to accommodate many offices, shops, and other places of work where thousands of people can come and work. Due to their central location and easy accessibility, any number of people can come and go.

These types of construction focus more on the main construction, as most of the related facilities are already available due to their central location.

Construction Project Management

The type of project management required differs a lot for industrial and commercial constructions based on their specific needs.

Industrial construction varies in type, size, construction methods, and the manufacturing process conducted in the building. Due to this, you need to use different kinds of project management while constructing an industrial structure.

The materials used in the building also vary in specifications, types, and techniques used in the construction.

As such, industrial construction needs specialized skills in on-site equipment assembly, custom fabrication of complex structures, and large-scale integration of different types of installations.

Usually, industrial constructions are more extensive and take more time to complete than commercial construction.

But, commercial constructions are more streamlined with the use of the same materials, construction process, and techniques. These can be built with materials you find in your neighborhood hardware stores.

Permits And Building Licenses

Though both the industrial and commercial constructions need permission from governmental bodies before, during, and after the completion of the project, there are some vital differences between these two.

In industrial construction, permissions from the local authorities, additional inspections, and approvals become necessary depending on the scale of operation. Some industrial structures may also need permission from the city, state, and federal governments.

For commercial construction, the builder must comply with all the occupancy requirements, permits from the local planning and zoning boards, municipal authorities. Some commercial constructions must receive a license from health departments also. But it is comparatively a much faster process than the former.

Conclusion:

Industrial and commercial constructions form a significant part of the constructions in modern times. A business may need both of these types of buildings. The design, type of building, internal structures, and amenities vary with the kind of construction.

The commercial and industrial constructions differ in the following key points like

• The location where the construction is done
• The facilities that are provided outside the construction
• The amenities needed inside the construction
• The size of the construction
• The type of project management required for the project
• Regulatory compliance necessary for the construction

To sum up, it’s essential that you understand these differences between industrial and commercial construction and plan, design, execute and complete the projects accordingly.